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Sunday, July 7, 2013

Promises Made, Promises Kept



PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT


Transparency
Successfully advocated for the City’s Administration to publicly disclose the locations and purchase prices of the 34 parcels of property owned by the City of Richmond Heights;

Successfully advocated for the release of the organizational documents of the Greenwood Farm Historical, Cultural & Arts Association, Inc.; and,

Created a blog and email blast to keep residents apprised of the operations of the City.

Good Government/Financial Accountability/Reduction of Waste
  • Wrote the City’s policy for vehicle and cellular phone usage in compliance with best practices as outlined by the Auditor of State, thereby saving the tax-payers of Richmond Heights tens of thousands of dollars in misuse;
  • Spearheaded outsourcing of the City’s bank reconciliation to the Auditor of State and unearthing more than $300,000 in accounting errors;
  • Urged the City’s Administration to fulfill the State and County requirements of filing timely and accurate annual financial statements.  In 2012, for the first time in 10 years, the City filed its financial statements on time.


Collaboration and Cooperation with the Richmond Heights Local School District
  • Participate annually in the Booster’s Scholarship interviews for outstanding graduating seniors involved in public service and sports;
  • Wrote and sponsored a $35,000 grant from the Cuyahoga County Department of Development in order to put rubber pavement on the playground of the School;
  • Organized Right to Read Week with the Principal of the Elementary School in order to introduce the children to successful members of their community.


“No” Means “Yes” for the Richmond Heights Tax Payers
  • Consistently voted “no” to additional acquisitions of residential property for the City;
  • Consistently voted “no” to over-budget expenditures without supporting and explanatory documentation


Commitment to Broad Based Public Service

  • Commissioner, Cuyahoga County Charter Review Commission
  • Commissioner, Richmond Heights Charter Review Commission
  • Board Member, Cuyahoga County Public Library Foundation
  • Board Member, Hillcrest YMCA Board of Advisors
  • Member, Women’s Committee of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  • Member, International Cleveland Communities Advisory Committee of CMA

How much does Greenwood Farm annually cost the City?



Update as of 6/25/13:  At the request of Mayor Ursu, Council members Eloise Henry, David Roche, Mark Alexander, Marcia Morgan, and Don O’Toole voted to give Greenwood Farms an additional $21,000 in tax payer dollars on June 25, 2013.  See Legislation 38-2013 and the vote in City Council.

The total purchase price of Greenwood Farm and all associated properties was approximately $664,000.  The City of Richmond Heights purchased the parcels from over two years (2004 – 2006). 

The property is more or less located at the intersection of Richmond Road and Chardon Road. It consists of approximately 17 acres.  The current market value assessed by the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Office is $408,300 -- a decrease in value of 38.5%.

Even though the City of Richmond Heights is financially responsible for the routine maintenance of Greenwood Farm, the City does not control the property.  Greenwood Farm is controlled by a separate corporate entity, called Greenwood Farm Historical, Cultural & Arts Association, Inc. (GFHCAA).  It has a separate board of directors and this board is responsible for the property’s control of business affairs and funds.  There is no public access to the property.

For at least the past three years, the GFHCAA has never appeared before City Council to report on how it uses tax-payer funds, plans to be utilized for the public interest, and intends to achieve financial self sufficiency.

Annually, the City appropriates (or gives) thousands of dollars to Greenwood Farm.  GFHCAA also raises its own funding through multiple events, such as the upcoming Junk in the Trunk rummage sale.  Again, GFHCAA has not reported to the City in the past three years about how much money the organization raises or its intent to supplement tax-payer dollars.

Similar to the other properties owned by the City of Richmond Heights, the cost of maintenance of Greenwood Farm (labor and materials from the Service Department, interest in the Bond Retirement Fund, and assorted expenditures in other funds) is accounted for in the general bucket and cannot be easily or transparently itemized.